Question: During a review, it came to my attention that our practice inadvertently overcharged a patient. We attempted to rectify this by sending a refund check, but it was returned due to lack of forwarding information, and we’ve had no luck contacting the patient. Is it permissible for us to retain the funds and adjust their balance to zero? AAPC Forum Participant Answer: Most states have guidance for such situations; such money would probably be considered “unclaimed funds” and can be returned to the state and distributed by the state’s entity for that purpose.